#globaledchat Archive
A weekly chat covering topics related to teaching with a global perspective. A rotating cast of guest hosts include education experts and influencers. A must-follow for all educators who would like to open their classroom to global opportunities! Hosted by @HSingmaster and sponsored by @AsiaSocietyEDU
Thursday March 24, 2016
: Please introduce yourself & say which African countries you have visited or if none, which would you want to visit 1st & why?
Hi, Mary Curran here--I've been fortunate to visit South Africa once. Many years ago...
Stacy Gasteiger, Botswana because daughter going there to study abroad.
Welcome back to ! Thanks for joining.
Hello, ! Jason in Iowa City. I'd like to go to Morocco or South Africa.
I’m Heather, moderator. Haven’t been to Africa, but really want to! My son wants to go on a safari, so might be our 1st trip!
Hello, Camp from MA. Would like to visit Nigeria--teach about it & have an advisee who lives there. Would love to exp it
Good evening! Anne () for Asia Society. I've yet to visit Africa but would love to visit Tanzania.
Those both sound great - I wouldn’t mind going to either!
Hi all--Seth--would love to visit Ethiopia!
Bonjour !High school French edu near Charlotte.1st,I'd like to go to Morocco, & then Sénégal.The former offers cool edu trips.
it would be great to visit all the places one teaches about, right?
Power's on . Tim is here from Northern Colorado.
Hi, . My BA & most of my course work for my first MA is in African history, but I haven't made it there yet.
Founder, Literary Safari apps. Born and partly raised in Ghana, have also visited and worked in Liberia and been to Morocco.
Hi everyone at ! I'm Breeanna with . I've spent most of my time in East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya)
Natalie here from ! I've visited Uganda and Rwanda, and I would love to visit in South Africa!
Taught in upcountry Liberia, West Africa in the late 80s until the civil war broke out.
Mike from MD. First trip outside of Continental US/MX/CA last summer: 6 wk study in Peru
Josh would like to someday visit Tunisia...Mediterranean Sea
Wow! That must have been an experience!
I’m glad we have some experts on tonight with us!
Q1: Finish the sentence: I teach about Africa because…
A1 The Africans I know are amazing and I want my Ss to know about such wonderful people.
Indeed it was , but also where I learned to think globally
Greetings. Ghana and Namibia!
more engaged students Education World: Innovative Courses Help Teach Students Global Citizenship, STEAM Skills 10.12.2015
Thanks for joining tonight!
A1 I have a student from Ghana. ?Spelling. We are not exploring, but talking about this connection.
A1 we need to break the stereotype of "those" violent/uncivilized, etc people by the West. Need 2 understand Wests involvement
A1. I teach about Africa because Africa is not a country.
A1: How can you not? It’s a very important part of the world with so much history and culture!
Yes! A very complicated history and ongoing involvement with the West across the continent.
A1 b/c Africa is an integral part of world and US history and its histories/cultures/peoples contribute to who we all are.
A1: The more we can expose Ss to global communities & experiences, the better they'll be in our communities
Q1. I think my students (and I) have SO much to learn FROM Africa, especially about sustainability.
Jason from Bmore jumping in. Music therapist / teaching artist.
Hi ! Tara for NorCal here. I teach about Africa because it is vibrant, diverse, changing, and misunderstood in the USA.
A1: there are too many misconceptions & myths, it's not a country!, & need to disrupt the "single story" of poverty
A1) because we need to bring nuance to the stories coming out of the continent and represent a diversity of experiences.
A1 I teach about Africa because there are so many misconceptions, and because so few of my students survived to dispel them
great point, we are missing the real value in this region of the world
A1: I teach about Africa bc many countries are French-speaking, so relevant in world lang class. So rich in cultural lessons.
That and us violent westerners too.
A1 Africa's physical and human geographic characteristics are so diverse Gives students opp. to think at varying scales.
Hello ! A1: We share stories from Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa & more because we have much to learn from these cultures.
A1: ...kids seem to know the least about--diversity, history, topography, daily life, urban v rural etc.
A1: musically Africa is a diverse tapestry of sounds and styles. American music us a derivative African musical influences.
Everyone in US knows the least about --adults included https://t.co/4eBFfnAp0m
A1: ...kids seem to know the least about--diversity, history, topography, daily life, urban v rural etc.
A1: Ss need to wrestle w/ understanding places & cultures diff from own; it builds critical thinking, self/other awareness
A1) Help students understand the African culture & see their are many similarities instead of identifying all the differences
its an amazing thing to see the transformation of a Ss when they are exposed to other cultures
That sounds familiar!! Travel = lightning fast learning of the best kind!
Africa is poised for development. They have a modern infrastructure (Cell/wireless) in many areas. Connecting will surprise.
Q2: What are the dangers of a single story about Africa?
We definitely do not focus all of our energy on the Eiffel Tower in French class. :)
yes! - single stories are not representative and impact (often negatively!) how we relate to others
definitely. Ss need to see that poverty is multidimensional and context driven.
A1 and also music, . What would world music be without Africa?
A2 My 3rd graders are always amazed there are cities in Africa. They think it's all savanna and jungle.
I can't wait until the day I can connect my classroom with one in a Francophone African nation.
A1: Growing significance, growing population, more connectivity
That is good to hear!! I hope that is the case with all French teachers!
Kids see@Africa represented in the early years as either poverty stricken or rich with animals.
That lens has to be widened
There has to be one or two out there waiting for you to find them. Keep looking.
A2 No cities means animals are seen as more important than people. Twists the viewpoint.
So helpful to experience what is common about our shared humanity and the beauty in the differences
A2: a danger is teaching about a place I've never been & making it authentic; I stress to Ss that I'm learning as they are
A2: The single story makes Africa seem like one homogenous place - nothing could be further from the truth!
we absolute agree! diversity & nuance are critical, yet this is missing for Africa often - let's fix that
Q2 If there's only one story about Africa, chances are it was written in last 100 years. Danger is no context
A2) Dangers there is a belief that everything is all poverty with little education. Build relationships & seek truth
A2: In an effort to bring Ss engaging content, Ts often resort to presenting Africa as violence, AIDS, child soldiers.
A2 Seen funny skits by Africans of different countries making fun of their stereotypes of each other.
A2 It oversimplifies the complexities of a region. Ss miss out on a lot of perspectives, cultures, connections, movement, ect.
A2: 1. there is no single story. 2. One story is incomplete and biased.
A2: Danger is minimizing diversity & viewing as a continual catastrophe in need of Wests help as only avenue to success
Yes! Some of the videos that shared in their blog post this week really made that point clear!
A2: Maintain a colonial/deficit mindset that homogenizes an enormous, diverse, & rich continent.
Do you use Google Earth/Google Earth Pro(Desktop)? Lot you can do to bring Cities in.
A2: a danger is teaching about one area/country/region & clarifying that is IS only one small part of a multifaceted cont.
A2: The danger is that legacy of colonialism is ignored and racism and colonial attitudes are perpetuated
A2: One look at a story would inspire the spread of lots of erroneous info to fill in gaps, and little truth.
https://t.co/NJYnrTzpBX
Along with your blood pressure and temperature, your creativity is one of your vital signs.
I find this to be the case only based on limited resources, Ts need to be educated on global learning as well
the entire U.S. (with all of its diversity) is 1/3 the size of Africa - we need to highlight that!
"nada, nada thing. What's Duke Ellington without that swing?"
so true. We need to bring authentic African voices to our students - not an outsiders interpretation.
I bring in African university Ss. They show pictures of their cities. Bigger than our town https://t.co/aOsim9ZAQw
Do you use Google Earth/Google Earth Pro(Desktop)? Lot you can do to bring Cities in.
yes! We need to respect differences but acknowledge/celebrate/understand the many similarities!
A2: Single story emphasizes 18th & early 20th century colonialism & offers less space to critically examine imf & world bank
Was it difficult to find students to come to your classroom to share?
wow very telling piece of content right there!
Stopping by to say hello to global friends. Interested in tonight's topic!
Agreed! As a T, need to seek those ways
A2 We would never say Irish and English are the same just because they are neighbors...
I find that they LOVE to come in and share. Especially with 3rd graders who ask adorable questions. https://t.co/AQ1z2ThzDc
Was it difficult to find students to come to your classroom to share?
agree... if we teach only one story we miss all that diveristy; all of what places places.
Q3: How do you make teaching about Africa relevant to your students?
Thanks for dropping by Lucy! Jump right in.
A2:Single story relies on narratives too often constructed in the Global North that freeze Africa in time.
Absolutely, the nuances, histories, diversity of any region is complex and requires global learning on our part
Absolutely. Building a 1-1 connections b/w Ss is a great way to build these relationships
I use the Nile river in my discussions about Geography, Landforms, & Economic development. Night view.
A3 We just began a classroom matching relationship with a school in Uganda.
A3 colonialization + unequal distribution of resources + boundaries = potential, success, exploitation, tensions, unjust
A2) Telling a single story we robs Africans of the opp to define their own identity; be empowered by their unique story
A3: Make it relevant by discussing the human experience on an individual level and a global level; think about "being human"
A great way to widen that lens is through African voices in pictures/videos/persons
Probably not, but the trend has been for a little while to study France AND the many Francophone cultures.
A2:The single story is not untrue-must be taught alongside the many other stories; cult is nuance & nuance is hardest 2examine
A3 Will be discussing location of minerals throughout the world in upcoming science unit- Africa is big.
I haven't! Thanks for the share. I will check it. out.
A3) Had students partner with a class in Africa and do project together or share what was learning and get their perspective
Absolutely. Figured it was. Most every country. Every continent.
Brett from Oskaloosa IA checking in late.
A3. I'm not a teacher in the traditional way but I've created content that is country specific like our kids app Dentist Bird
Awesome! Do you mind sharing the process to do so?
A3: Diverse stories and experiences, lit, music, art, and connecting the commonalities of the human experience = relevancy
so important - touches upon this in her "single story" ted talk - a real eye -opener for students
what was the process like in getting connected with this classroom?
Hey Brett! Thanks for joining us again. Is everyone back from China now?
A3:Anticipate deficit thinking, then highlight developments & cultural geo led by African people. https://t.co/C4RCV3z8X4
A3: Google folders shared between classrooms--each folder a diff aspect of cult--housing, relig, daily life, most imp possess
Videos are great, but bringing the kids in through was amazing to get real-world answers & knowledge.
grateful for educators like you!
Yes, and they LOVED it! Still some jetlag but doing well. TY for asking!
A2 Focus on geography of Africa w/my 2nd graders--powerful. A big step for them to understand that Africa is NOT a country.
Just lost power/web again here . Will jump back on if can.
A3: Make it relevant by wrestling with the idea there is NO single story, so more stories around globe means better awareness
Someone I know has family who teaches in Uganda
A3. 1st make it easy 2 create mental map by chunking continent in2 5 musical regions - based on similar culture and sounds.
A3: Blogs & Youtube videos produced in & by people across Africa, popular culture like movies produced in Nollywood
Do you have a map like this online?
A2 single stories determine how we view others- it limits the ability of a person to define their own identity
We can work around this starting young through cross border projects.
A3: Dentist Bird was released during the Ebola outbreak w/ a guide https://t.co/g0T0HhNVZg . It's based on a Liberian folktale
A3 talk about how interconnected their lives/histories are with Africa, regardless of their background
A3 Africa is full of natural resources. Important cell phone parts come from Africa. Nowadays, teens are lost w/o phone
I didn't say it would be easy .... Build your network. You'll meet someone ...
Speaking of "wrestling," my student wrestlers LOVE learning about West African wrestling traditions
Q4: What projects/activities have you done to teach about Africa?
Partnerships are not as easy to find as you might think. But it can be done!
A3: lots to do with music over time and space--ethnomusicology all approach juxtaposes single story with many modern ones!
that is too cool! how did the students react?
That’s a great project idea!
I have it in my game kit, but not online.
How about good feature films for classroom? Anyone have titles?
A4:Connected my student teachers w/Ts & grad students in Durban, SA through discussion forums & Skype. Great conversations!
The is always looking to connect with classes and students. They are located in Nairobi.
A3: Ss also dig learning about the African roots of American music
I see. I've done several. ;)
Yes, you need a lot of patience & resilience - all those social emotional skills :)
I also want to know how to operational use teaching this massive continent in 3 weeks!
we have great connections btwn students in the US with students in Africa through 1:1 video messaging
A3 A couple of mineral wealth comments. Created this map layer for Ss to visualize this wealth. https://t.co/NdUPB0t9J7
agreed. these boys at Del Barton loved their 1-1 partnerships with students in Uganda
Q3 Reading One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul to study natural resources, upcycling.
They were thrilled. They had to come to school two hours early because of time difference. All 23 Ss showed up
Thanks, I'll be working on this very thing next month!
A4: Allow Ss to Google the heck out of the area by web, news, image, shopping tabs
Excited to stop into on behalf of tonight.
Q4: we curated a list of multicultural kids apps many of which about Africa & are still adding to it https://t.co/PVwKwNk5I6
So important for students to connect with . this sounds like a great project!
A4: We explore the idea of aid, good vs. bad aid, colonial assumptions linked to aid w/ 's book The Bright Continent
A3: We look at topics that interest teens. Music, food, art. Did I mention food? :)
I also like "Tsotsi" and "Skin" which are out of South Africa
A3) We curate the best documentaries from around the world to expose Ss to whats happening NOW. ex: https://t.co/bCPC8bgSrV
A4: Viewing Band Aid's 1984 video through a lens postcolonial critique is so interesting for high school students
A4: Our study of Africa is sprinkled throughout the curriculum, but I've done a storytelling unit w/a focus on oral tradition.
A4: The BEST activity was having a S who lives in Nigeria come to class for Q&A. Amazing for Ss
Ss love to talk to someone from Africa. Mine will ask the most telling questions in all innocence.
Great idea! I would add the song "Do they know it's Xmas" to that analysis. Such a bad song, but good teaching tool.
When talking about aid, also mention African agency and African solutions in handling development projects
Q5: What are some of your curricular resources for teaching about Africa? Share your favorites.
saw it! Makes teaching ss in regions w high populations of unbanked people about financial literacy more important.
My advisee from Nigeria vented passionately about that song this past winter! Palpable for others to hear why
wow that gives me chills!
A4 Use a build Africa Hwy scenario, created by another great geo T. Ss attempt to build hwy that helps development
A4; we organized an int'l day celebration at a school on ghana & Liberia w/ drumming, art, dress up, storytelling, & food.
hearing their conversations back and forth each week MAKES MY DAY
Most definitely! It really changes the narrative to talk about African agency
Q4 Our middle school read "Long Walk to Water" and had a South Sudanese refugee living here come to talk with the kids
Would love to talk. We're creating classes connecting Ss globally & could incorporate your wrk.
A5: Primary sources are best resources from the region, with explanation to Ss how these are insider's views, not teacher's
I wish I could get my hands on that Kenya satire series, Aid for Aid.
We haven't, but we have now! Can't wait to check it out more!
A5) Never really had curricular resources for it. Allowed students in Nairobi to tell their story. They taught us Swahili
Where do we begin?? We have so many!
what is Aid for Aid? I am intrigued
have you seen ? They bring up that issue in the larger context of the global aide industry
more investment in Africa would be good. Politics there are still so volatile though.
You have to check out Africa Straight Up - 30 minute film - under tab 'dismantling the single story' https://t.co/Fce9jmQgCc
A5: tangent: Code Canada creates picture books written and illustrated by African authors and we love to support their work
A5: Amazing film about coffee and fair trade, impact of C-market on producers in Ethiopia, Black Gold: https://t.co/pa5IsBKKTE
thank you! will look into it
Teaching about current 'issues' (like Kony 2012) is difficult - we have resource guides for you https://t.co/ZIRzcLUwZn
Yes it is. Will have to change. There are pockets though, aren't there?
would love to have a look at that - on my list for tomorrow!
Please check us out. We'd love to connect you with students in 22 countries via global STEM.
All of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novels and short stories are powerful. Especially Half of a Yellow Sun.
Not Africa - Peru, South America. Have tons of photos from my trip. Happy to share.
we would love that! I'll be in touch for sure.
Oh my.This chat has reminded me that I've a Kiva acct that needs attn.We have sold lollipops & loaned to Francophone Africans.
Q6: What skills do students need to recognize media stereotypes about Africa? Do you have a fav stereotype-busting technique?
Can we start early enough and teach our elementary Ss reality before we have to bust too many stereotypes?
That's what I'm trying to do with my 8 year olds! Hope they correct their parents.
That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it? https://t.co/ei6KwxektG
Can we start early enough and teach our elementary Ss reality before we have to bust too many stereotypes?
We're in the midst of connecting Ss from to students in the US. Check them out.
A6: Ss need to ensure sources are reliable & look at multiple perspectives. Here’s a blog with tips: https://t.co/OzcXfNIydE
A6: I think the fact that we devote time to teaching about Africa is stereotype busting: eschewing the canon for 21st C goals
Wish that we could, but so many stereotype ideas are formed outside school walls. Hard to battle.
A6: It comes up when we are discussing our interpretation of expository texts. We learn the truth by exploring mostly.
storytelling is a GREAT way to engage younger audiences especially when they teach by presenting story
A6) Skills to critically analyze media - Show 3 short films, each w/ a different perspective from Africa
Start teaching Africa early and undermine the stereotypes now - check out elem resources here https://t.co/7AOYlj1uyI
A6: establish classroom culture of continuous stereotype-busting, thus these units are just further extension
My pleasure and thank you for inspiring this dialogue. Our world needs this right now.
A6 cont) For ex, a couple weeks back our held an event in Kenya w/ 5 films + voices of local changemakers.
Yes. Can't fight every idea. Must identify the roots. Stereotypes are symptoms.
A6: I often start with humor/comedy, then get serious about stereotypes, in order to open the door
A6:Who is speaking on issues relevant to Africa & who produced the source they are viewing/reading https://t.co/Z4hx2bhrVU
T's also have to break out of the Eurocentirc thought patterns.
Learners love creating a beat with my small collection of African instruments while telling stories. Fun!
Use material culture & daily lives to connect students to Africa - we have a kit on Kenya digitized https://t.co/0etPy8V7D8
A6 Our media is ablaze about European terrorism attacks-ignores African and middle-eastern. Sigh
If you could pick one, which would you choose that is 100% appropriate for HS students?
A6) Stereotype about accents. Explained that to everyone else we probably sound funny & have accent too. Respect was #1 always
that will happen when / if we spend time in PD, College talking about this. Difficult otherwise. helps.
This is perhaps the most essential Tweet of the night! Our world absolutely needs this https://t.co/y2TaLlBB4e
My pleasure and thank you for inspiring this dialogue. Our world needs this right now.
funny how the best answers are often the simplest!
Sorry, I meant other than Achebe. Adichie, perhaps?
Have you checked out and his clips on colonialism?
Sorry, don't know Adichie books.
Q7: How do you incorporate African voices into your classroom? Why is this important?
PD wont do it. Gotta get T's out of comfort zone and GO there. To many T's live in a zone of cultural superiority.
I agree. Especially after living in Peru for 6 weeks. Funding?
just creating a new curriculum focused on global music - can't wait to see the results in the classroom!
Look at for stories of Ss innovating solutions to local problems in Kenya, Sierra Leone & South Africa.
It’s true, but it’s tough to get everyone to travel…..
A7 The energy of Africa is phenomenal. Our Ss should understand it, not ignore it.
A7: It’s important to have students seek authentic voices - see that there is not just one single story of Africa.
A6 Students need to prioritize & multiple perspectives - there are no single stories
Help do this. But yes. Those of us who are doing and need to lead.
connects Ss in the US to students globally via video letters.
Global Conversations and Global Language Lab courses are often the most relevant for HS
so true we often only hear about the conflict in Africa
We recently helped create curricula on The Purple Hibiscus for 10th graders. Talk us for more!
That will be amazing, and learners will love it! Will you be blogging about it? Or sharing ideas somehow?
T's need to have a wilingness to travel. Willingness = way. Too many international companies will help if T's are authentic.
I would love to see what you put together. We start each day w/ global music = transformative!
An aha moment for Ss in the US is realizing kids globally who also speak English can't understand our accent!
agreed we cant assume travel is a necessity. It has to start right here
let us know how it goes -- we love featuring for teachers by teachers resources online
A7) We have a large collection of films from Africa - filtering on https://t.co/0ORPa93Ug4 helps Ts find the perfect fit.
Agree with allthis; if we cannot travel, what's next best experience for Ss? That's my struggle
A7: when we read stories about specific African countries w/universal themes, eg. Under the Same Sun https://t.co/pZrocM7Hlf
YES! Awesome! Trying to diversity lit..Achebe is so important as classic lit, but we need more!
If we can't travel, we connect them with the local-global community.
absolutely! It's very important to create that "buffer" period for Ss to get a real understanding of culture
My work is curating culturally emblematic music 4 specific places & people. music needs to be authentic 4 Ss!
Face to face interaction, like - bringing university students as a start.
Yes, the seeking is so relevant here - not just to accept 1 story, to learn how to discover & learn beyond it
Also happens to Ss within the US. Especially 1st generation Ss.
OR use the technology we have at our fingertips!
Shared voices through common experinces. Blog to start. Build into social media. Had S who played xbox w/buddy from Australia.
yet there is so much more - we should ask ourselves, why is this the focus of the media?
sounds amazing! Music tells a universal story that can bring out our shared humanity.
Absolutely. More info needed by me and many others.
A7: At the HS level, I cannot say enough about Eng-SS collaboration for teaching about Africa https://t.co/0pphAXCj2F
yes but tech is getting us closer with younger students
Thank you for joining us tonight on . Be sure to grow your & follow all of tonight’s chat participants!
GREAT EXAMPLE! We are featuring this in a new curriculum for 2nd grade - we have to normalize Africa
Thanks . It's a great blog post. Thanks everyone for a great chat.
Thank you all for a poignant and collaborative chat tonight!
Yup. We're doing our first series of . Can't wait to go global
thank you so much! wonderful discussion tonight
travel is the best, but excellent can be highly immersive as well
Exactly. African influences are in every person's life - let's explore them!
